From violence to mentorship: How Indoda Wednesday give men a safe space to talk

Health-e News From violence to mentorship: How Indoda Wednesday give men a safe space to talk Indoda Wednesday, an initiative adopted by the City of Johannesburg Health District in April last year, is bringing together men and boys to talk about violence, mental health and other social issues.

More than 1,000 men have been reached in Johannesburg’s Region G alone.

For 67-year-old Elias Jim from Lawley, the gatherings have become part of a much longer journey away from violence.

Elias says for decades, anger has shaped how he responded to conflict.

Raised in a home where violence was directed at his mother, Jim says he absorbed the behaviour he witnessed and eventually became violent himself.

“I was absorbing the violence from my father.” Jim says he was nicknamed ‘Khalambazo’, meaning axe.

“My father was abusive and feared by everyone in the house, including my mother.

He would beat my mother in front of us,” Elias says.

When Jim got married, the abuse extended to his wife.

“At 22 I married my first wife and we had a child.

We were married for only 4 years.

My abusive traits started to show.

I oppressed my wife, I never allowed her to contribute in any decision-making.

I wanted her to be just a trophy and be controlled.” In 2025, Jim married again, and had his second child.